Kyle was starting to get bored leaning on the wall near the lockers while he waited. "Darlene! What are you doing in there?! Come on!" He was hungry, they were going to get food. He might forgive her if she was getting spruced up though. He could handle Darlene dressed nice.
"Sorry! Sorry Kyle!" Darlene called from the depths of the locker room. "I was showing the girls my pictures..." She sauntered out, slipping her phone in her pocket.
"Pictures?" Kyle sounded...annoyed. This was not an acceptable reason to dawdle. And she looked like she normally did after work. T-shirt and jeans. Not even tight ones.
"Yeah! We went out together on Sunday remember? And I wanted to show them the picture of Carol dancing because she didn't believe she looked good and we got distracted by the other pictures and..."
"Uh-huh, yeah." He...didn't care about girly pictures really. Not those kind anyway. "C'mon partner, we need food."
"Hey, it was good for Carol! And they wanted to see Traver when we first met and..." Yeah, she sighed and shut up, falling in beside Kyle as he wandered toward the car. "Sorry."
Slightly mollified by the apology, Kyle slid his arm across her shoulders and tugged her to the car. "Well, I know how girls get excited by that I guess. Bet he was kinda rough back then huh?" After all, younger Traver meant hoodlum Traver right? And he was all kinds of rough now...
"Hey! No!" She glared up at her partner (cutely) and fished her phone back out. Scroll, scroll, scrolllll. "Here! See? He was so nervous.." It had been adorable really. And there he was in all his awkward younger years. Less scarred. Far less scarred. "Still hot though right?"
Kyle...had no idea what to say. There was a photo of Traver and Darlene. an awkward photo. "Uh..."
"Oh, right, sorry!" Darlene laughed and scrolled through a couple pictures for him. "I should only ask the girls that right? Guys don't really say guys are hot, but hey, here...we're all dressed up nice?" And he could see Darlene in...very little? Next to Traver, naturally.
"...yeah, that's...later?" Kyle was floundering. FLOUNDERING! "You guys look older."
"Yeah, that was a really nice place, a few years after Janna was born." Still a while back though, and there was wistfulness in her voice. She'd liked dressing up. "Oh, hey, Breaker pics!" She was still scrolling through things! "He didn't know I was there." she confided cheerfully.
"You have pictures of Breaker?! Why?!" Yeah, lost his cool a bit there but...Breaker. On Darlene's phone.
And she helpfully pulled up more of them for Kyle to see! "Well, he's hot." Darlene pointed out simply. "Oh, no, I don't like him, I have Traver, but it's a shame he doesn't have a boyfriend you know? So when I see people that Breaker might like I try to...you know..." Show off the sexy pics? Like she was showing Kyle? Oops?
Kyle. Was. Staring. At Breaker in leather pants. Oh God it was like a trainwreck. "Try to what?"
"Well, I'm a crappy match maker but I try." Darlene grinned and let Kyle keep the phone to look at pics. She wasn't in a rush. "Breaker's easy. He likes strong guys, good muscle definition you know? Tougher, don't mind a bit of rough handling and have fun going to mixed martial arts shows and stuff." Because, well, everyone should have a significant other right?
"...does he know you do that?!" Why was he squeaking? Did Breaker think KYLE was available because Darlene hung out with him?!
"Nah, he wouldn't approve." Darlene knew that! Darlene also knew Breaker would be a little creeped out that she was pinpointing what he liked in men. "So I don't tell him." And at least he got laid sometimes as a result?
"Yeah, he wouldn't." Ew. Since he had the phone he started idly flipping through the pictures, and...he didn't like what he was seeing. Sure, random pictures of Darlene hanging out with the girls, good time pictures, but far too many Traver pictures. Far, far too many. "Hey, you only have the girls from the precinct?"
Darlene blinked and leaned sideways in her seat to look at the photos. "Well, yeah, some people don't like their pictures taken and I thought you might think it was silly..."
Ah, perfect. Kyle smiled and leaned sideways enough to lean his head on Darlene's. "I don't mind. And I know the poker guys won't mind. They had fun playing with you so go ahead and take pictures. And if you don't like cards you're more than welcome to take over the stereo." And dance. He liked that.
"Really?" Darlene grinned. "I like having pictures of people having fun!"
And if she took enough precinct pictures, Darlene might have to delete some older pics to make room...and most those breaker pics could go. Yeah. Just go. Could he figure out how to accidentally delete them now? No, she'd already scrolled the pictures away and now he was looking at Janna. "Well, we'll just have to have more fun around you won't we? It's a shame you're not doing more stuff with the precinct." With her coworkers and her real friends. "We can work on that. There's bowling Sunday night."
"I'm going out with the girls Sunday after shift," she was sorry! "And Tuesday I"m going out with Traver! A real date again! Oh...what should I wear? What do guys like on make up dates?" This was probably how the picture conversation in the locker room had gotten derailed.
Kyle...froze. Just...what? "...clothes?"
She wiggled around in her seat enough to give him a clear view of those worried, blue eyes. "Yeah, you're my best friend, and a guy, you'd know right? C'mon, you've had make-up dates before right?
Too much information. TOO MUCH because make-up meant more than just a date. It meant Traver would be all over Darlene again, hands and worse on HIS partner. HIS. His brain scrambled in circles of angry, angry jealousy for a minute or two before he shook his head. "Nah, if I've broken up with someone I break up fr good Darlene. Where are you guys going?"
"I don't know! He hasn't told me yet, which doesn't help with the outfit thing..." She grumbled and slid back into her seat properly.
"I'm sure you'll figure it out." He gave her phone back and threw the car into drive so they could go get food finally. "Or hey, make him tell you where so you know how to dress right? You can tell me once you know and then I might be able to help." Until then he was going to stew. Stew and play nice with Darlene so she'd take pictures of him and not Traver.
"Yeah! I can try that!" She grinned and closed her phone. "Thanks Kyle!"
"Sorry! Sorry Kyle!" Darlene called from the depths of the locker room. "I was showing the girls my pictures..." She sauntered out, slipping her phone in her pocket.
"Pictures?" Kyle sounded...annoyed. This was not an acceptable reason to dawdle. And she looked like she normally did after work. T-shirt and jeans. Not even tight ones.
"Yeah! We went out together on Sunday remember? And I wanted to show them the picture of Carol dancing because she didn't believe she looked good and we got distracted by the other pictures and..."
"Uh-huh, yeah." He...didn't care about girly pictures really. Not those kind anyway. "C'mon partner, we need food."
"Hey, it was good for Carol! And they wanted to see Traver when we first met and..." Yeah, she sighed and shut up, falling in beside Kyle as he wandered toward the car. "Sorry."
Slightly mollified by the apology, Kyle slid his arm across her shoulders and tugged her to the car. "Well, I know how girls get excited by that I guess. Bet he was kinda rough back then huh?" After all, younger Traver meant hoodlum Traver right? And he was all kinds of rough now...
"Hey! No!" She glared up at her partner (cutely) and fished her phone back out. Scroll, scroll, scrolllll. "Here! See? He was so nervous.." It had been adorable really. And there he was in all his awkward younger years. Less scarred. Far less scarred. "Still hot though right?"
Kyle...had no idea what to say. There was a photo of Traver and Darlene. an awkward photo. "Uh..."
"Oh, right, sorry!" Darlene laughed and scrolled through a couple pictures for him. "I should only ask the girls that right? Guys don't really say guys are hot, but hey, here...we're all dressed up nice?" And he could see Darlene in...very little? Next to Traver, naturally.
"...yeah, that's...later?" Kyle was floundering. FLOUNDERING! "You guys look older."
"Yeah, that was a really nice place, a few years after Janna was born." Still a while back though, and there was wistfulness in her voice. She'd liked dressing up. "Oh, hey, Breaker pics!" She was still scrolling through things! "He didn't know I was there." she confided cheerfully.
"You have pictures of Breaker?! Why?!" Yeah, lost his cool a bit there but...Breaker. On Darlene's phone.
And she helpfully pulled up more of them for Kyle to see! "Well, he's hot." Darlene pointed out simply. "Oh, no, I don't like him, I have Traver, but it's a shame he doesn't have a boyfriend you know? So when I see people that Breaker might like I try to...you know..." Show off the sexy pics? Like she was showing Kyle? Oops?
Kyle. Was. Staring. At Breaker in leather pants. Oh God it was like a trainwreck. "Try to what?"
"Well, I'm a crappy match maker but I try." Darlene grinned and let Kyle keep the phone to look at pics. She wasn't in a rush. "Breaker's easy. He likes strong guys, good muscle definition you know? Tougher, don't mind a bit of rough handling and have fun going to mixed martial arts shows and stuff." Because, well, everyone should have a significant other right?
"...does he know you do that?!" Why was he squeaking? Did Breaker think KYLE was available because Darlene hung out with him?!
"Nah, he wouldn't approve." Darlene knew that! Darlene also knew Breaker would be a little creeped out that she was pinpointing what he liked in men. "So I don't tell him." And at least he got laid sometimes as a result?
"Yeah, he wouldn't." Ew. Since he had the phone he started idly flipping through the pictures, and...he didn't like what he was seeing. Sure, random pictures of Darlene hanging out with the girls, good time pictures, but far too many Traver pictures. Far, far too many. "Hey, you only have the girls from the precinct?"
Darlene blinked and leaned sideways in her seat to look at the photos. "Well, yeah, some people don't like their pictures taken and I thought you might think it was silly..."
Ah, perfect. Kyle smiled and leaned sideways enough to lean his head on Darlene's. "I don't mind. And I know the poker guys won't mind. They had fun playing with you so go ahead and take pictures. And if you don't like cards you're more than welcome to take over the stereo." And dance. He liked that.
"Really?" Darlene grinned. "I like having pictures of people having fun!"
And if she took enough precinct pictures, Darlene might have to delete some older pics to make room...and most those breaker pics could go. Yeah. Just go. Could he figure out how to accidentally delete them now? No, she'd already scrolled the pictures away and now he was looking at Janna. "Well, we'll just have to have more fun around you won't we? It's a shame you're not doing more stuff with the precinct." With her coworkers and her real friends. "We can work on that. There's bowling Sunday night."
"I'm going out with the girls Sunday after shift," she was sorry! "And Tuesday I"m going out with Traver! A real date again! Oh...what should I wear? What do guys like on make up dates?" This was probably how the picture conversation in the locker room had gotten derailed.
Kyle...froze. Just...what? "...clothes?"
She wiggled around in her seat enough to give him a clear view of those worried, blue eyes. "Yeah, you're my best friend, and a guy, you'd know right? C'mon, you've had make-up dates before right?
Too much information. TOO MUCH because make-up meant more than just a date. It meant Traver would be all over Darlene again, hands and worse on HIS partner. HIS. His brain scrambled in circles of angry, angry jealousy for a minute or two before he shook his head. "Nah, if I've broken up with someone I break up fr good Darlene. Where are you guys going?"
"I don't know! He hasn't told me yet, which doesn't help with the outfit thing..." She grumbled and slid back into her seat properly.
"I'm sure you'll figure it out." He gave her phone back and threw the car into drive so they could go get food finally. "Or hey, make him tell you where so you know how to dress right? You can tell me once you know and then I might be able to help." Until then he was going to stew. Stew and play nice with Darlene so she'd take pictures of him and not Traver.
"Yeah! I can try that!" She grinned and closed her phone. "Thanks Kyle!"